


Zootopia: Separated Partners

by VariableMammal



Series: Zootopia: Partners [23]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: F/M, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-19
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-06-09 09:04:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6899719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VariableMammal/pseuds/VariableMammal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>With Judy Wilde-Hopps out on a week-long trip in Bunnyburrow, Nick is left to try to help his son through a crisis that has developed with his best friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Zootopia: Separated Partners

-Zootopia Central Train Station, 8:45 AM, Sunday-  
  
  
    Judy Wilde-Hopps looked longingly back at her husband Nick and adopted son Larry as she prepared to leave on the train to Bunnyburrow. The gray bunny hesitated, setting her suitcase back down and heading over to them.  
  
    "Only a week, right?" The fox said to her, smirking.  
  
    "Mm, only a week," Judy said, nodding. "I just don't know if I was the right person to choose for this; touring a few Bunnyburrow schools and giving speeches about becoming a police officer. Y-you know I'm not super great at speeches." Nick's eyes widened.  
  
    "Uh, no," Nick said, placing his arms on her shoulders. "You are  _amazing_ at speeches. You gave the most inspiring speech of my life. What you're  _not_ good at is improv."  
  
    Judy laughed nervously. "Yeah, improvisation, you're right..." He and Judy hugged. Then, Judy turned to hug Larry. The gray squirrel only came up to her waist, but instead of crouch down for a hug, Larry preferred to jump right on her front, so he did. "Hey, Larry. You be good while I'm gone, okay?"  
  
    "You can still MuzzleTime me, right?" Larry tilted his head.  
  
    "Oh, of course!" Judy set him down, nodding, and gave a small sigh. "Well, I better go. Bye, my sweet boys." She leaned over to kiss Larry on the forehead and gave Nick a soft smooch on his muzzle. They all waved as she headed off into her train.  
  
    Nick gave a tiny, wry smile as he headed off with Larry. "Oof. Parents kissing. That's rough, huh? Sorry you had to see that, Lare-bear."  
  
    "What, do you think I'm one of those thirteen-year-olds who thinks kissing is lame?" Larry smirked. "It's cute!"  
  
    "Well!" Nick chuckled. "Guess it takes one to know one, there."  
  
    "Hey!" Larry laughed, punching at his father's hip with both paws a few times.  


* * *

 

  
-Barns and Stables Booksellers, 11:00 AM, Sunday-  
  
  
    "So, you're here for a book to do a book report? Didn't they supply you with a book to do one?" Nick wondered, looking down the aisles.  
  
    "Well, we could do one supplied by the school, but it looked kinda boring," Larry explained, "we could also choose one from a short list of other ones, but we had to get those ourselves."  
  
    "This isn't due Monday, is it?" Nick teased.  
  
    "No dad, it's due the Friday after next," Larry shook his head and smirked.  
  
    "So why aren't we at the library, then?" Nick shrugged. "That's free."  
  
    "But you gotta give the book back!" Larry chuckled. "I might wanna read it again, because it sounds cool. Or, I could give it to Chet when I'm done. He loves books." Larry picked out the book. "Ooh, here it is."  
  
    "The Apes of Wrath?" Nick cocked an eyebrow, bending over. "What's an 'ape'?"  
  
    "It's this cool mythical creature that's all hairy and they have weird, scary faces and huge forearms," Larry grinned. "You know, mythical like dragons."  
  
    "But dragons are real, Larry," said Nick, "I saw a few in Pawaii. Komodo dragons, bearded dragons..."  
  
    "No, I mean the dragons that can breathe fire and fly," Larry chuckled.  
  
    "Oh right, like the guy from Super Bash Bunnies. One of the characters there... he's an ape, right?" Nick laughed. "Oh hey, speaking of Chet..."  
  
    "Yo, Lares!" A gray chinchilla who was Larry's height but quite a bit wider headed over swiftly. "Dude, are you here for Apes of Wrath too? That's my brody; it's the coolest book on the list!" Chet offered his paw up for a high-five, and Larry energetically accepted. Another gray chinchilla in a smart looking suit and hat showed up behind them. "Yo, Lares, this is my dad!" Chet looked eager to introduce the two.  
  
    "Hello!" The chinchilla waved in greeting. "You must be Larry. Chet goes on and on about his 'brody'. It's good to meet you! Ah, where are your parents, young man?"  
  
    "Present," Nick chuckled.  
  
    "Oh, I see!" The chinchilla offered his paw to Nick, and Nick knelt down to shake it lightly. "I'm Winston. It's good to get to hang out with Chet. I'm just kind of sorry I can only take him here once a month. I'd buy him a book every week, but you know how it is, alimony and all that..."  
  
    Nick nodded slowly as he internalized this, his eyes fully open. He didn't want to clarify that he wasn't a single parent just yet.  
  
    "What's alimony-?" Larry wondered.  
  
    "It's just some payments and stuff," Chet said quickly. "Hey Lares, since we got the same book, maybe we can talk about it at lunch together! You know, help each other with our report!"  
  
    Larry grinned in amusement. "You just want me to write your report for you, don't you?"  
  
    "Pff, not even!" Chet shot back. "You better keep up with MY reading pace, or it's going to be spoiler city for you!" The two chuckled. Both fathers looked rather pleased.  
  
    "Well, son, unfortunately I think we have to wrap this up," Winston said with a small hint of sadness. "Let's go pay for your book."  
  
    "Aw, okay, dad," Chet nodded. "Catch you at school, brody!" Larry waved at Chet, who returned this.  
  
    "Chet is an interesting chinchilla," Nick shook his head after the two.  
  
    "What's alimony, dad?" Larry turned his head up to Nick.  
  
    Nick sighed. "Larry, if I told you that you definitely wouldn't like the answer, would you still want to know?"  
  
    Larry fidgeted with the book he was holding for a few seconds. "...Yeah?"  
  
    "All right, then," Nick said evenly. "Alimony is when a separated parent has to pay money towards supporting their child."  
  
    "Chet's parents are divorced?" Larry looked upset.  
  
    "Looks that way," Nick nodded. "From what I gathered, it sounds like Winston can only visit his son once a week."  
  
    "What!?" Larry looked panicked. "But he... he looks like he loves his dad!"  
  
    "I mean, yeah," Nick sighed, "could also be the extra excitement from only getting to see him occasionally though."  
  
    "But from what I've heard of his mom, I mean," Larry sputtered, "he doesn't tell me anything about her, but from what I've picked up... his mom is... like..." Larry looked crestfallen.  
  
    "That's just how it goes sometimes, son," Nick offered to carry Larry, as he was knelt down beside him. Larry hesitated, but accepted.  


* * *

 

  
-Eastern Mezzo Park, Wednesday, 4:10 PM-  
  
  
    Larry and his friends often met up right after school in the park at what they called a "trick meet". Rodents and mustelids tended to have a lot of energy to burn after school, and with the cessation of recess in middle school, Chet had invented this get-together for some small animals to burn off steam. On this particular day, Larry was sitting down at the base of a tree, reading the Apes of Wrath, only half paying attention to the tricks. On the other side of the tree was seated Kara, a honey and white colored ferret with braces and pink glasses. She had a different book, the one that the school provided, Fur and Loathing. That one had looked somewhat dull to Larry.  
  
    "Hey, Lares!" Chet called out to the squirrel. "You wanna do a trick today?"  
  
    "Uh-huh!" Larry smirked, setting a bookmark in his book and putting it in his backpack. Kara craned her head around the tree to look at him.  
  
    "Ooh, whatcha gonna do, Larry?" She smiled at him. "...The SQ-Whirl?"  
  
    "Sure!" Larry shrugged, and Kara gave a tiny gasp. The SQ-Whirl was Larry's signature trick, and the favorite of several of the kids at the meet. He didn't like to do it too often though, because he didn't want it to lose its "wow" factor.  
  
    "Lares! Nice!" Chet looked enthusiastic. "Hey can I have your phone?"  
  
    "Uh, sure?" Larry reached for it and brought it out. "Why?"  
  
    "I'm gonna record you, brody!" Chet laughed.  
  
    "Really?" Larry's voice whined a bit and his shoulders huffed. "If you do that, you know I'll mess up."  
  
    "Eh, c'mon," said Kerry, a brown weasel girl, "just pretend Chet doesn't exist. Like that's hard." There was laughter from the group and Chet rolled his eyes.  
  
    "All right, rodents and mustelids!" Chet called out, getting the phone ready. "Hold your applause till the end of the stunt!"  
  
    Larry hopped in place a couple of times to psyche himself up, then ran for a tree. He scurried up its length halfway, then started running around the circumference of the tree. Faster and faster he went, then at the right moment, leaped clear of the tree and carried his motion through the air into a whirling disc of gray fluff and tail. Larry landed smoothly on three limbs, holding one fist out and giving a smirk at Chet as his tail whipped out. He was getting better at doing the trick smoothly.  
  
    " _YES!_ Sweet!" Chet said, stopping the recording. Cheers and clapping broke out.  
  
    "Okay Larry, okay!" Kerry nodded, clapping. "You still got it!"  
  
    "Nice, pipsqueak," Heather, a white stoat, said, pushing her chin up. Kara was still at the foot of the other tree, but she definitely wasn't paying attention to her book.  
  
    "Your turn, Chet! Your turn!" Larry said, taking his phone back. "Let me record one of yours!"  
  
    Chet's shoulders shrugged, but he was still grinning. "Eh, not feeling it today, Lares."  
  
    "Oh, okay," Larry nodded, his enthusiasm taking a small hit, though his smile remained.  
  
    "What? The Chilla's skipping a trick?" Heather shook her head. "Lame! You gotta show up the pipsqueak! You're the coolest of all of us!"  
  
    "Hey, back off, Heather," Larry said, his smile vanishing. "If he doesn't feel like it he-"  
  
    "Who asked you, squirrel?" Heather advanced on Larry, and he flinched. "I know you think you're hot stuff cause of your best trick, but-"  
  
    "Heather, chill," Chet said calmly, and she did. "This isn't a contest. We're all here to have fun."  
  
    "Besides," Kerry agreed, holding one paw up vertically and pressing the other one horizontally atop it, "we're about outta time. We should all get goin'." Heather gave Larry a supsicious look, but soon everyone dispersed. Larry got his backpack and noticed Chet hadn't started moving yet.  
  
    "Heather's kinda mean, yeah?" Larry wondered, standing alongside him.  
  
    "Eh, she's just blunt, Lares," Chet shrugged. "She doesn't mean any harm; she just likes the natural order of things. She thinks I have to be the leader of us. Don't worry though, I got my brody's back." Chet pat Larry's back firmly and the squirrel chuckled with his eyes closed, returning the gesture, and missing the fact that it made Chet flinch.  
  
    "We both gotta go to the subway, so let's go!" Larry beckoned. Chet slowly nodded, but Larry noticed quickly that he was limping a bit. "What happened, Chet...?"  
  
    "Eh, fell at the meet yesterday," Chet shrugged. "No big."  
  
    "You did?" Larry tried to remember his trick. He'd done one Larry invented, the "Squall Jump", flawlessly at that. "I thought you did it perfectly...?"  
  
    "S'no big deal, bro," Chet shook his head and kept walking. Larry felt seized with anxiety and scampered up to be next to him again as they walked.  
  
    "C-chet, what's going on?" Larry asked trying to catch Chet's gaze, to no response. "Chet...?"  
  
    "Dude, leave it," Chet said firmly, his eyes focused in the distance.  
  
    Larry felt his breaths coming quicker. "C-chet! If I... if I tell you about why I'm not with my birth mother, will you t-tell me about what's going on with-"  
  
    "No!" Chet snapped angrily, then looked ashamed. "No... sorry Lares. Just, I don't want to talk about our moms, all right!?"  
  
    "C-chet!" Larry gasped. "I'm your friend! Please-!"  
  
    "I know, Larry!" Chet's teeth clenched. "But I'm going to get into huge trouble if I say ANYTHING, so just STAY OUT of it, okay?" Chet's mouth wobbled, then he tried to lose himself among the forest of larger animal legs as he descended into the subway. Larry stood at the top of the subway entrance, feeling lost and helpless.  
  
    "Chet... w-what's wrong...?"  


* * *

 

  
-The Wilde-Hopps' Aardvark Rise Apartment, Wednesday, 6:58 PM-  
  
  
    After dinner, Larry was trying to focus on his book. But all the rest of that afternoon and evening, his thoughts were plagued by non-stop worrying. He had thought of what he believed was every possible situation Chet could be in that would make him act this way. He had settled on one of them, and he didn't like it at all. He grit his teeth as the words in his book didn't seem to properly register and he couldn't concentrate. He jumped in surprise from his phone ringing.  
  
    "Hi mom," Larry said in a clearly upset voice, trying to hold his phone steady. Judy had MuzzleTimed him from inside a room in the Hopps complex.  
  
    "Larry? What's the matter, sweetie?" Judy's face quickly shifted to concern as Larry's mood was plain as day.  
  
    "Muh... mom, I think somethings wrong with Chet, like, really wrong," Larry could feel his voice and breaths starting to catch.  
  
    "What do you mean, honey?" Judy seemed alarmed.  
  
    "I think," Larry's voice heaved as he tried not to cry. "I think his mom is huh-hurting him or something..." Larry's teeth bared in distress, and then he began to sob.  
  
    Judy gasped. "What makes you think that?"  
  
    "He was luh-limping today and he wuh-wouldn't tell me why..." Larry shook his head rapidly, sniffling. "He's nuh... he's not too p-proud to tell me when he huh-hurts himself... and he... he w-won't talk about his muh-mom..."  
  
    "Oh no..." Judy put a paw to her mouth.  
  
    "I don't know what to do...!" Larry's voice ascended into a very high pitch as he squinted his eyes, tears rolling down his cheeks. He sniffled and sobbed in despair.  
  
    "Larry... oh I wish I was there, honey, I'd hug you up so tight right now..." Judy's teeth showed as she felt her son's sadness eat at her stomach. "You just need to keep being his friend, okay...? Just be there for him." Larry nodded, choking out a few more sobs. "Larry, now you listen to me... just go find your father, okay? You need a hug. Go talk to Nick."  
  
    "Nnh... nnh-kay..." Larry sniffled.  
  
    "Call me right back, okay?" Judy said in concern. Larry nodded, ending the call and putting the phone in his pocket. He burst out of his room and made for the couch. Nick took in a sharp breath of alarm as he saw his son running towards him with teary eyes.  
  
    "Larry! What's wrong!?" Nick leaned over and scooped Larry up, holding him close.  
  
    "I th-think Chet's mom is hurting him... nngh..." Larry kept sniffling, trying to hug as close as possible onto the fox's arms. Nick set Larry on his chest, and Larry latched on there next.  
  
    Nick swallowed, petting his back. "Y-you positive about that?"  
  
    "No..." Larry admitted. "Buh-but I'm pretty sure." Larry took a very large, shaky breath to try to explain himself again. "He won't talk to me about his mom and he gets these weird injuries sometimes that he tries to convince me happened somewhere else..."  
  
    Nick's teeth clenched and he looked away. The fox's mind sprinted into overdrive. "Okay son, it'll be okay."  
  
    "What...?" Larry looked at him with a pitifully sad and uncertain face. Nick was pretty sure it was causing his very soul pain.  
  
    "If there's one good thing about your dad," Nick began, "it's that he knows everyone." He pat Larrys back softly.  
  
    "...There's a lot of good things about my dad," Larry gave a weak chuckle.  
  
    "Hmm, you may be right there, Lare-bear," Nick smirked. "But don't worry. I'm going to make sure I do everything I can to help. I can't promise a miracle, but I'll do everything short of that."  
  
    "Y-you'd do that for Chet?" Larry stared at Nick in wonder, his eyes drying.  
  
    "If someone hurts your "brody", they hurt my little boy," Nick said seriously. "And if they hurt my little boy, they have to answer to me."  
  
    "Wow, dad..." Larry rested his cheek on Nick's chest.  
  
    "I know, that sounded pretty cool, huh?" Nick chuckled. Larry laughed weakly. Larry pulled out his phone and called his mother.  
  
    "Larry? Oh thank goodness, are you feeling better?" Judy wondered.  
  
    "A little-lot," Larry nodded diagonally.  
  
    "Foxy boy, is that you up there?" Judy tried to crane her eyes up to see Nick.  
  
    "The one and only, bunny babe," Nick said boisterously.  
  
    "What did you do to calm him down?" Judy wondered. "I mean, besides a hug."  
  
    "Told him I'd try to fix everything," Nick smirked. "And I will."  
  
    "What... what do you intend to do?" Judy's eyebrows furrowed in puzzlement.  
  
    "C'mon Judy, you think just because I'm on the straight and narrow a fox can't pull a hustle every once in awhile...?"  


* * *

 

  
-Zootopia Police Department Headquarters, Thursday, 8:20 AM-  
  
  
    "Hey, Skippy!" Nick pumped his arm across his chest, approaching the station of Karen Skippel, an arctic hare technical officer and somewhat-begrudging friend of his.  
  
    "Hey, 'Nicky'," Karen shot back wryly without looking at him. One of the corners of her mouth barely tugged upwards.  
  
    "Okay, deserved that," Nick nodded. "Need a favor."  
  
    "What can this humble technical officer do for you?" Karen said sarcastically.  
  
    "Need you to pull up three names," Nick said, suddenly very seriously. "Winston, Chet, and Rinn Chilla."  
  
    "Uh, okay?" Karen finally turned to look at him, curious at the steel in his voice. "What am I looking for, here?"  
  
    "I need to see if Rinn has any arrest history," Nick went on.  
  
    "Hm, a couple of arrests for driving under the influence," Karen looked at her history, "some complaints filed and called in for disorderly conduct and disrupting the peace at her apartment."  
  
    Nick brought his teeth over his lips and mouthed a curse word. "Okay, that's bad. In fact that is very bad. I'm going to need a print out of that and anything we got on Chet and Winston."  
  
    Karen stared at her screen and looked at some of the information on Chet and Winston and her overactive bunny mind quickly tried to connect the dots. "Wait, what is this about? Do you think the kid is being abused?"  
  
    "It's starting to seem that way, Skip," Nick's teeth were showing.  
  
    "Hang on, this isn't part of an investigation, is it?" Karen looked intensely at him. "You should tread lightly with stuff like this. This isn't your fight, Wilde-Hopps."  
  
    "Except it kind of is?" Nick narrowed one eye. "You should have seen how upset my poor squirrel was last night, Skip. He was sobbing like crazy over even the thought of his best friend being hurt by someone that's supposed to be taking care of him."  
  
    "That kid really gets to you, huh? I know I've said it before," Karen smiled a bit, her head shaking softly, "but 'cool dad' is my favorite side of you." Nick let himself smile just a little. "What are you going to do now, though? This isn't anything. It's completely circumstantial and tangential." Karen went ahead and sent the sheets over to the ZPD's printer.  
  
    "For now," Nick nodded. "But Dr. Pedshark owes me a favor."  
  
    "What can he do?" Karens brow furrowed. "All he does is stare at dead bodies all day."  
  
    "True, but he has a lot of friends in the medical profession," Nick explained. "Look, I know its a long shot, but I have to try."  
  
    "All right, Nick," Karen shook her head. "It's your funeral."  
  
    "Hope it won't be," Nick was feeling anxious, so he decided to try to lighten the mood. "Anyway, Skip, you thought about tying the knot with Crystal Lumi any time soon?" Karen's eyes suddenly went wide and her ears twitched. She looked left and right to make sure no one was watching.  
  
    "Nick...!" She hissed in warning.  
  
    "Skip to your Lumi, darlin'," Nick winked.  
  
    Karen made a chopping motion with her hand. "Get  _out_ of here, Wilde-Hopps!"  
  
    Nick grinned, following that direction. It'd been quite awhile since he had met Judy Hopps, but ever since then, he  _loved_ teasing bunnies.  


* * *

 

  
-Snarlbucks, 21st Street, Thursday, 11:00 AM-  
  
  
    "I'm sorry, Nick, but what you're asking," Dr. Carl Pedshark began, staring at the file Nick collected on Chet Chilla, "it's just not done! A doctor can't just waltz right in and grab a patient's medical records whenever it pleases them!"  
  
    "Can we get permission from the father?" Nick pursued.  
  
    "He's not the legal guardian," Carl shook his head. "Our paws are tied!"  
  
    "Take a look at this, Carl," Nick pointed at Rinn's arrest history, "you really think she's sober now? I think she's hitting her kid, and so does my son."  
  
    "I  _think_ is not a compelling argument, legally," Carl winced in apology.  
  
    "So what will it take, then?" Nick scooted back, flicking his arm upwards in frustration. "Does the kid have to show up in an emergency room, bruised and bloodied, before someone takes notice? Or does he have to find another way out. Hmm?" Carl looked stymied. "You know the things you have seen on that table you work on. I sure would do anything I could if it was  _my_ son this was about, even if I had to bend the rules a little."  
  
    "Good lord, as I would for my daughter," Carl's eyes searched the table. "...I, I'll tell you what. I know of a pediatric doctor at Mercy General named Dr. Lucy Deerbring. She's a bit of a bleeding heart, especially towards allegations of abuse like this. I might be able to... er..." Carl wrung his hands, "see if she can fabricate some sort of explanation for why his medical records should be audited. See if there are any sort of inconsistencies in the injuries he sustained officially versus what was observed."  
  
    "Now we're talking," Nick nodded, scooting back into the table. "We need something to get that chinchilla into a family court hearing."  
  
    "I'm afraid it won't be enough," Carl sighed. "Any lawyer worth their salt is going to try to get the records thrown out, even if something legitimate or suspicious is found."  
  
    "I've got an attorney I know," Nick went on, "A bird from another city, by the name of Mr. Wright. He's kind of infamous for turning cases he's about to lose right around."  
  
    "Ah, I have heard of him," Carl nodded, "his name is Nick as well, from what I recall?"  
  
    "Well, that's one of his nicknames," Nick chuckled. "I prefer to call him Feeny, for obvious reasons. Listen, we need to get that kid into the courtroom. Once that he sees that there are people fighting for him, he might confess to the abuse. If he can see that there's a way out that doesn't end in pain or misery, he might go for it."  
  
    "I hope you're right, Nicholas," Carl sighed. "You are putting an awful lot of chips on the table for this."  
  
    "I know, Carl," Nick finally sipped his coffee. "But I'm just trying to be a good father to my boy. Trying to make the world a bit better."  
  
    There was a period of silence while the two sipped their drinks.  
  
    "On a bit of a lighter note," Carl started, "your son is a squirrel, is he not? I believe I have caught my daughter staring at some pictures of a squirrel on her phone, with a bit of a wistful look. She always deletes them when I demand to check, however."  
  
    Nick gave a single breath of amusement. "You think it's my son?" Nick chuckled. "If it was, would that be a problem?"  
  
    "Well I'm sure I don't know!" Carl grinned. "I wouldn't want it interfering with her studies."  
  
    "Her studies?" Nick narrowed his eyes. "Carl, they're only thirteen! Let kids be kids! I know I had to grow up way too fast. I want Larry to enjoy his childhood. I'm not going to be upset if he's got a ferret crushing on him, if that's what is going on."  
  
    Carl chuckled lightly. "I suppose you're right, Nicholas."  


* * *

 

  
-The Wilde-Hopps' Aardvark Rise Apartment, 7:00 PM-  
  
  
    It was a month and a half later. Larry and Nicholas were both making the same silly face with their tongues sticking out as they played a video game together.  
  
    "Oh come _on_!" Nick protested. "I swear they nerfed my character in this new installment. To the _ground_. Into which they keep ending up."  
  
    "Dad, seriously," Larry shook his head, "I looked up the changes online, they actually got buffed! You need to get good."  
  
    "I'm not used to this new engine, it's a lot different," Nick complained, "and speaking of 'new', why is it called New Super Bash Bunnies? What are they going to do for the next one? Call it 'New New Super Bash Bunnies'? And what about when this game is like a decade old?"  
  
    Larry laughed, but hesitated on the character select screen before the next round. His smile slowly melted away and he looked concerned. "Dad, uh... I'm kind of worried about Chet again? He hasn't been in school for the past several days and no one knows where he is, even the musteladies."  
  
    "Oh don't you worry about Chet," Nick smirked. "I have a feeling you'll be seeing him again soon, and shortly."  
  
    "How are you so sure?" Larry tilted his head.  
  
    "Because I am awesome," Nick said haughtily.  
  
    "Well I know that," Larry smirked, "but you can still barely ever beat me at this game."  
  
    "Rub it in, why don't you!" Nick said with his mouth agape. "Why don't you try going at me with a character you're not so good with?"  
  
    "Pff, I'm good with all of 'em," Larry narrowed his eyes.  
  
    "You little..." Nick was about to give him a noogie, when they both started from Judy bursting through the door with an overeager expression on her face.  
  
    "Whoooo's ready to get their tail kicked in New Super Bash Bunnies?" Judy yelled out. Both Nick and Larry yelped in panic.  
  
    "Gah! Uh, I think my controller's run out of battery, babe," Nick held it up.  
  
    "Liar! That controller is corded, Nicholas!" Judy smirked with her teeth showing.  
  
    "Woah, uh, I think I have an important assignment due tomorrow that I just remembered right now," Larry said in a high tone. Judy launched onto Larry's bed and grabbed his pillow and started lightly whacking both of them with it.  
  
    "Cowards!" She proclaimed between swings.  
  
    "Ack! It's a  _real_ Super Bash Bunny!" Nick laughed, trying to shield himself with an arm.  
  
    "Face me like  _true_ mammal warriors!" Judy growled out bombastically.  
  
    "Mom...! Cut it out!" Larry giggled.  


* * *

 

  
-Eastern Mezzo Park, 4:08 PM-  
  
  
    The following Monday at school, Chet Chilla had returned. Larry had said hi to him, sat with him at lunch, and met with him at the trick meet, but he seemed strange; stunned and distant. Larry didn't want to upset him, so he kept his thoughts to himself. Early on in the trick meet, Chet stood up and started to walk away.  
  
    "Chet, we barely got started, here!" Heather said in annoyance. "I've got some new moves to show you!"  
  
    "Just hang on, Heth," Chet shook his head. "Need a bit of a walk."  
  
    "You okay?" Kara asked in concern.  
  
    "Yeah just..." Chet looked at Larry. "Hey brody, you're invited. You wanna walk?" The squirrel scrambled to his feet faster than he could think, and was walking with Chet in no time. Chet looked back at the meet until no one was in earshot.  
  
    "Are you  _really_ okay, Chet?" Larry asked in worry.  
  
    "...Yeah, actually, I'm more than okay..." Chet shook his head. "I'm gonna be living with my DAD now..."  
  
    "W-what? Really?" Larry's face lit up. "That's what you want, right!?"  
  
    "More than anything, Lares," Chet nodded. "It's been like some kind of weird dream. I went to this family court thing. It was so... weird. Action-packed, even. People were bouncing up everywhere, yelling: _HOLD IT! OBJECTION! TAKE THAT!_ " Chet started to point in various directions dramatically.  
  
    "Is that what they call a kangaroo court?" Larry wondered.  
  
    "No idea, Lares," Chet softly chuckled. "But they got me on the stand. I... couldn't look at her, but I... I had to tell 'em how she'd start drinking, take my books, and..." Larry gasped sharply, and then dashed directly at Chet, hugging him tightly. Chet was stunned into silence. Larry was able to hug all the way around him, gripping firmly onto his soft chinchilla fur.  
  
    "Don't talk about that," Larry said firmly. "I don't want you to feel bad about that ever again, okay...?" Chet didn't respond, or hug back. Larry let go before too much longer. Chet's expression was baffled.  
  
    "Uh, Lares, brody?" Chet's eyebrow cocked. "I mean I... don't take this the wrong way but... I'm not like, into you, duder..."  
  
    Larry laughed. "Oh, I like girls too, Chet! But can't brodys hug it out once in awhile? Especially if one of them really needs it?"  
  
    "I mean, I guess," Chet's shoulders shrugged. "As long as no one else sees. I gotta be the cool Chilla for our peeps, brody! And hugs aren't cool."  
  
    "They so are!" Larry laughed. "And you know, I bet the musteladies have wondered what it was like to hug you every now and again. Maybe I should tell them you're  _super_ soft..."  
  
    "What? Dude, shut up!" Chet laughed.  
  
    "I'm super glad you're gonna be living with your dad now!" Larry continued, but then his expression took a hit. "Um, are you going to be moving schools?"  
  
    "Oh no, Lares, that's cool," Chet said, "Dad's always been just around the way, it's just he couldn't see me too much due to legal junk."  
  
    "Whew, that's a relief," Larry nodded. The two slowly started to make their way back to the meet.  
  
    "So you really like girls, huh Lares?" Chet asked skeptically. Larry nodded. "I gotta admit, I was wondering for awhile there. ...So do you have a crush?"  
  
    Larry froze and his eyes widened.  
  
    "Oh, so, yes," Chet shook his head, laughing. "Who is it? Is it one of the musteladies? Oh! I bet it's Kara, isn't it? The cutest one!"  
  
    Larry laughed lightly in panic. His voice was high. "Uh, Kara?"  
  
    "I've seen you lookin' at her from time to time, Lares," Chet smirked in a reproving voice. "And you know what? Sometimes she looks at you, too, when your back is turned. Bit her lip once. Bet she digs that big fluffy tail."  
  
    "Wuh-huh!?" Larry was stunned. He tried to play it off, starting to walk again. "I mean, c'mon, what? Yeah right... Kara? Pff, no way..."  
  
    "Lares," Chet sighed in a flat voice. He pat Larry on the back. "My buddy. My bro. We have  _got_ to work on your poker face. You're like an open book. Seriously."


End file.
